Jamey Foley’s Beheading Video Is Fake, But Did He Die At The Hands of Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary Anyway?

Although police have a possible suspect with Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary, the beheading of American journalist James Foley may not be such an easy crime to wrap up. Forensics analysis experts are now saying that the video most people have seen of Foley’s execution was probably staged, reported The Telegraph.

One visual expert explained that what appears to be post-production trickery is what is actually causing the video to appear like an on-camera beheading — but they still maintain that James Foley is likely dead, and probably at the hands of Abdel Bary.

“I think it has been staged… My feeling is that the execution may have happened after the camera was stopped.”

Aymenn al-Tamimi, a fellow at the Middle East Forum think-tank, remarked that ISIS has greatly improved their video production over the last few years. Techniques to fake a beheading would not be difficult for them to manage, and the video doesn’t exactly leave their failures on the hidden: Despite six slashing motion to James’ neck, no blood can be seen in the video; Foley’s reaction seems to be very disconnected with what is actually occurring, the analysts said.

Questions about the video’s veracity come on the heels of an announcement in The Sunday Times that British intelligence services MI5 and MI6 have closed on in on suspect Abdel-Majed, who may currently be living in London. He recently tweeted a picture of himself holding a severed head. Abdel Bary is also a hip-hop artist. A video of his work — including the chilling lyric “selling swagger with the dagger, we still saw throats” — can be seen below.

The forces in the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) have been wrecking havoc in the region for months now in an effort to bring it back under Islamic extremist control. Several minority groups have suffered persecution in the face of the jihadist movement, including executions of Christians and possibly even on LGBT citizens here on American soil. Of course, the graphic nature of James’ beheading video was especially jarring to the American public. Whether Abdel-Majed turns out to be the guilty party of not, they are eager to see someone punished for the graphic act of aggression.

Conservative media have been extremely critical of President Barack Obama’s response following the release of Foley’s beheading video. In an editorial on Breitbart, columnist David Bossie tore down Obama’s agenda following the incident.

“British Prime Minister David Cameron was so concerned about the murder of James Foley that he came back from his vacation while President Obama jetted back to Martha’s Vineyard (which, by the way, is a playground for this country’s liberal elites). The first statement by President Obama about this heinous murder was followed up by around of golf with a former NBA star.”

How Obama goes forward with the intelligence on Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary is yet to be seen, but it will be critical to how his response to James Foley’s beheading is judged in the future.